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Native Topekan reporting from Ukraine

Topeka High grad Nicholas Clayton arrived Wednesday in Crimea

Nicholas Clayton is a native Topekan working as a freelance journalist in Ukraine.

Demonstrators break police ranks as they storm the regional administrative building in Donetsk, Ukraine, Wednesday. Hundreds of demonstrators waving Russian flags have stormed a government building in Donetsk in the eastern Ukraine. The region is the home area of fugitive Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country after massive protests in Kiev.

Two Ukrainian vessels are trapped in a port at Sevastopol by a Russian blockade.

A Topeka High School graduate this week finds himself in the international hot spot of the Crimean peninsula area of Ukraine, not because he is stranded there, but rather because he is working as a freelance journalist for publications such as USA Today.

In an email interview Thursday, Nicholas Clayton reported he is in Sevastopol, Ukraine, the largest city on the Crimean peninsula and the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy.

Clayton said he arrived Wednesday in Sevastopol, after flying from Istanbul, Turkey — where he lives — to Simferopol, the regional capital. From there, Clayton said, he took a train to Sevastopol.

Here is what Clayton had to say in the email interview:

■ Why are you in Ukraine and what are you doing there?

I am working as a freelance journalist reporting for a variety of services on the situation here.

■ What is the situation where you are located? Any violence or demonstrations or threat from the government?

Overall, things seem very calm, and, for lack of a better term, normal. The Russians have positioned their ships to blockade the port, trapping two Ukrainian vessels here. Negotiations have reportedly been ongoing since the beginning of the crisis between these ships, but the Ukrainians have refused to either surrender to the Russians or allow them to board.

Similar standoffs are ongoing between Ukrainian forces and the Russians that have surrounded their bases around Crimea, but so far no shots have been fired and there are signs of easing tensions, with Ukrainians and Russians agreeing to jointly patrol the facilities in some cases.

There appear to be round-the-clock pro-Russian demonstrations outside of the main administrative buildings here in Sevastopol, but I have not witnessed any violence. Now that the referendum on whether Crimea wants to join Russia or remain as a part of Ukraine has been moved up to March 16, however, I expect tensions to rise.

■ Do you feel safe, or are you trying to find a way out?

I have yet to feel unsafe so far here. Locals seem mostly amused that the city has been descended upon by packs of journalists the same way that Topekans would be if there were suddenly foreign camera crews running all over town, asking their political opinions in strange languages. Although the city is overall very pro-Russian, no one has been aggressive toward me, perhaps because I speak Russian and have been able to engage them in conversation.

■ Are there other Americans near where you are located? How are they doing?

The only other Americans I have encountered here are other journalists I’ve bumped into. While there have been some reported incidents of violence and threats against foreign journalists in Crimea, no one I have been in contact with has been threatened in any way.

■ What is it like to be near the epicenter of an incident that has captured the world’s attention?

It’s exciting in a lot of ways and I am enjoying the opportunity to be among those who is able to inform the world about what is going on here on the ground.

■ What are the Ukrainian residents saying — where do their sympathies lie?

The majority of Crimea’s residents consider themselves Russian, not Ukrainian, and speak Russian rather than Ukrainian, as well. Sevastopol in particular has been a Russian navy town since its founding 230 years ago and people seem to be proud of that heritage.

Most people I have talked to are enthusiastic about the opportunity to break from Kiev’s rule, but would prefer independence to annexation from Russia. On the other hand, there are sizable minority populations of Ukrainians and Tatars who fear what will happen to them should the region be absorbed by Russia.

The Tatars are particularly suspicious of Russia. All 300,000 of Crimea’s Tatar population were exiled to Central Asia by Moscow in Soviet times for perceived disloyalty during World War II.

■ What do you see happening in the near and distant future in Ukraine?

It’s very difficult to tell what will happen here and it depends very much on the actions of a few unpredictable characters. It’s clear that there is no desire for bloodshed in Crimea among the local population and Russia, it seems, has taken great care to seize the territory and absorb it while avoiding violence, but it’s unclear how long that can last, particularly after the March 16 referendum.

Will Russia attempt to expand its control into other areas of Ukraine with large Russian populations? How will the new government in Kiev, which includes many nationalistic and vehemently anti-Russian figures, react to Russia’s looming annexation of their internationally recognized territory? These are questions that are hard to answer.

■ A little about yourself: Where did you grow up? What schools did you attend? How old are you? Any family members back this way?

I grew up in Topeka, attending Randolph Elementary School, Robinson Middle School and Topeka High School. At T-High I played JV football and was the news editor of the school paper. I also spent six months of my senior year as an exchange student in France through AFS. I’m 26 and graduated from Topeka High in ’05. I got a double major in French and Visual Media — an interdisciplinary degree — and Russian Studies from American University in Washington, D.C.

Most of my family is still in Topeka. My Dad founded Clayton Financial Services and he and his wife Debra are active in the downtown rehabilitation organizations. My Mom just recently moved to Lawrence where she is working as a social worker for a few different organizations. My grandparents Jerold and Joan Binkley, run Binkley Gardens outside of town and Jerold has been very active with the Topeka Beautification committee.